Duluth passenger dies after early crash on U.S. Highway 2 in Culver Township

A 23-year-old Duluth man died after a Jeep Grand Cherokee left U.S. Highway 2 in Culver Township and crashed into a power pole near milepost 236, a deadly wreck that unfolded in the dark just before 3:45 a.m. Saturday.

The Minnesota State Patrol said the Jeep was traveling eastbound when it entered the oncoming lane and then gradually moved into the north ditch. The vehicle hit the pole, snapped it in half, and came to rest facing westbound with all four tires on the ground.

The passenger was later identified as Keyshawn Michael Beckom of Duluth. The driver, Lee Arthur Green, 24, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment.

The crash adds another fatality to the St. Louis County traffic picture on a stretch of highway that serves as a main connector between Duluth and communities farther west. Minnesota Department of Public Safety crash data places the incident in State Patrol District 2700, and the county road segment is part of the kind of corridor local officials track for serious-crash risk.

St. Louis County says its County Road Safety Plan identifies road segments, curves and intersections that are at risk for future serious crashes and is used to target safety projects and pursue Highway Safety Improvement Program funding. MnDOT also works with counties, cities and other agencies to collect traffic count data and study where improvements may reduce deadly crashes.

State and transportation officials routinely point to speeding, seat-belt nonuse, impairment and distraction as major factors in fatal and serious crashes. MnDOT has also documented safety concerns at rural intersections in dark conditions and has studied lighting as one possible countermeasure, a concern that is especially relevant on long, lightly lit highway stretches outside Duluth.

Later reporting said authorities suspected alcohol may have been involved, but the State Patrol’s crash update did not make that determination public in its initial account. The investigation continues as Beckom’s death underscores how quickly a routine overnight drive on U.S. Highway 2 can turn fatal.